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After angioplasty, you need to take steps to improve your heart health. Learn how resources like cardiac support groups and cardiac rehabilitation can help.

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An angioplasty can help save your life after an episode of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including unstable angina or certain types of heart attack — but it’s not a free pass to ignore your health once the procedure is over. Your doctor will talk to you afterwards about how to make long-term changes in your heart health.

During the procedure, the cardiologist opens clogged arteries and removes any blockages of plaque. During most angioplasties, a stent is inserted in the affected arteries to help keep them open so that blood can flow freely to the heart. Some stents are coated with drugs, while others are simply bare metal.

Key Changes After Angioplasty

When assessing heart health, doctors emphasize a lifestyle approach. “What we stress with people after angioplasty is what’s called risk factor modification,” says Mehdi Shishehbor, DO, MPH, the director of endovascular services in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio. “This includes quitting smoking if you smoke, taking medication, and eating healthy. It also includes exercise.” Because these can be big changes, a structured program like that offered by cardiac rehabilitation can help.

Cardiac Support Resources

Cardiac rehabilitation can help people recover from angioplasty, heart attacks, and heart surgery. Through education and counseling, cardiac rehabilitation helps participants increase their physical fitness, reduce their heart symptoms, and lower their risk of future heart problems. In a study published in the journal Circulation, patients who participated in cardiac rehabilitation after angioplasty had a 50 percent better rate of survival than those who didn’t.

“Diet is one of the most important things people need to change,” says Dr. Shishehbor. You can improve your eating habits with the help of your doctor or a cardiac rehabilitation program. Here are Shishebor’s general dietary recommendations:

Eat less red meat

Eat more fish

Eat more vegetables

Use herbs instead of salt for flavor

Don’t eat fried foods — grill or broil food instead

Use olive oil in moderation, not other oils, for cooking

In addition, cardiac support groups are a valuable resource: They can help you stay on track with lifestyle changes you've made, and they offer emotional support from others who are living with heart disease or who have had a heart attack. Cardiac support groups can help you heal emotionally and physically, and they can help your family members cope with your heart disease as well. Many hospitals offer cardiac support groups and cardiac rehabilitation — your doctor can refer you to a nearby program.

Taking Your Prescribed Medications

An important part of your care after angioplasty is your medication plan — you must be sure to stick to your schedule. If you’ve had a stent inserted, your doctor will prescribe blood thinners to help keep blood clots from forming in the stent. Many people need to be on blood thinners for 12 months or more. A blood clot in a stent can lead to a heart attack, so taking medications as prescribed is vital to recovery.

By paying close attention to your heart health after angioplasty and participating in programs like cardiac support groups and cardiac rehabilitation, you can become healthier and stronger than you were before the procedure.

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